The iPad Air line of devices sits between the entry-level iPad and top-end iPad Pro in terms of price, but a new leak suggests Apple wants its next iPad Air to function a lot more like its iPad Pro devices.
This is according to a report from Chinese site MyDrivers, based on insider sources in Apple's manufacturing chain. According to the report, the next-gen iPad Air is set to make two big changes over the iPad Air (2019) - a bigger screen, and a USB-C port instead of the Lighting connector.
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The third-generation iPad Air has a 10.5-inch display, but apparently the upcoming version will have an 11-inch display. That's the same size as the smaller iPad Pro - in fact, MyDrivers states Apple will literally use the same mold for the screens for both devices.
That could imply the next iPad Air 4 could come with some of the iPad Pro's features too, if they're set to be so similar - perhaps Face ID or a variable refresh rate could make an appearance.
The use of USB-C would arguably be a bigger change as currently most portable Apple devices, including iPhones and many iPads, use the company's proprietary Lightning port, which is generally slower for data transfer and charging.
USB-C could let the iPad Air charge quicker, and also transfer data through USB much quicker.
The iPad Mini was detailed too
Apparently the next-gen iPad Mini will stick with the Lightning port, so if you're looking for a new device and don't want to lose all the Lightning cables you've got, it could be a good choice.
It seems the iPad Mini will get a screen size increase to 8.5 inches, over 7.9 like the current iPad Mini (2019). This would keep it as the smallest iPad, even smaller than the entry-level iPad 10.2.
According to the report, the iPad Mini will remain more costly than the entry-level iPad as it will feature an A13 Bionic chipset, as seen in the iPhone 11, to give it top-end processing power.
Apple doesn't release its tablets in yearly cycles, so it's hard to know when we might see the next-gen iPad Air and iPad Mini (although the current-gen versions were released in 2019). On top of that, the MyDrivers report doesn't contain any predictions or estimations on release dates so it's hard to know for now.
Either way, we'll know if these iPad Mini and iPad Air rumors are true whenever they are launched.
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